Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a hair wrapper, and more particularly to a device that wraps hair with a cord.
2. Background of the Invention
Many forms of hair braiding, beading and other hair decorations are known. One of the known forms of hair decoration is hair wrapping, where a lock of hair is wrapped with a decorative cord. Hair wrapping is usually performed manually, which can be a long and laborious process. Several attempts have been made to automate the hair wrapping process, including a device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,036 to Buta. The Buta patent describes an apparatus containing a cental tube in which hair is placed. The tube is surrounded by a revolving disk on which a spool and thread guide are mounted.
Rotation of the disk by a motor causes the thread guide to circle around the hair, wrapping the hair with thread. A toy hair wrapping device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,759 to Chung et al. which utilizes a hollow spindle for receiving a lock of hair. The spindle is rotatable by a motor. The spindle has detents for receiving and holding a cord such that rotation of the spindle causes wrapping of the cord around the hair.
The known devices are complicated to manufacture, and perform the hair wrapping in the internal portions of the devices, where it is difficult for the user to see the process. With known hair wrapping devices, there is difficulty in correcting mistakes. Additionally, if hair tangling occurs or if a cord is wrapped at a tension that is too high, it is possible for the known devices to cause injury.
One aspect of the invention relates to a hair wrapping device, which includes a housing and a motor contained within the housing. A cover is rotatably mounted to the housing and is driven by the motor. A spool for receiving cord is mounted for rotational movement with the cover. The cord is held for rotation with the cover. The cover has an aperture to thread a lock of hair and the cord therethrough. Rotation of the cover by the motor causes rotation of the cord around the lock of hair, thereby wrapping the hair with the cord. By holding the cord for rotation with a cover, the wrapping process can take place at the top of the cover, thus making the wrapping process easily visible to the user, ensuring that mistakes and tangles may be noticed quickly before they become too difficult to undo or before they pull the hair.
In one embodiment, the motor can be a reversible motor, and mistakes in the wrapping process can be corrected by reversing the direction of wrapping. In another embodiment, the aperture in the cover has an area disposed off-center for receiving the lock of hair, the aperture narrowing towards the center for securely holding the lock of hair in the center of the cover and spool. The enlarged off-center area of the central aperture allows the hair to be easily threaded through the aperture, while the narrower central area of the aperture allows the hair to be held in a compact bundle for wrapping.
In a further embodiment, a tensioner which holds the spool against rotation at a predetermined tension is also included. Rotation of the cover by the motor causes rotation of the cord around the lock of hair, thereby wrapping the hair with the cord at the predetermined tension. Yet a further embodiment of the invention includes a manually operated mechanism for manually rotating the spool for adjustment of the cord wrapped around the hair.
Another aspect of the invention relates to a method of wrapping hair with cord. The method includes providing a hair wrapping device having a housing, a motor contained within the housing, a cover rotatably mounted to the housing and driven by the motor. The cover has an aperture therethrough, and a spool mounted to the cover for rotational movement. The method also includes wrapping cord around the spool. The cord is held for rotation with the cover. A lock of hair and the cord are threaded through the aperture in said cover. The motor is operated to rotate said cover, thereby wrapping the hair with said cord.
Wrapping the hair can take place on top of the cover, whereby the user can view the wrapping process. The hair wrapping device can include a reversible motor, and the method can further include at least partially reversing the wrapping by means of the reversible motor. The hair wrapping device can include a manual adjustment mechanism, and the method can further include manually adjusting the wrapping by means of the manual adjustment mechanism. The spool can be held against rotation at a predetermined tension, to impart tension to the cord.
The aperture in the cover can have an area disposed off-center, and the aperture can narrow towards the center of the cover. Threading the lock of hair and the cord can include threading the hair and the cord into the off-center area of the aperture, and moving the hair and the cord into the narrowing of the aperture, whereby the lock of hair can be securely held in the center of the cover. Threading the lock of hair and the cord through the aperture in the cover can include the use of a threader.